Manual of the Lesser Golem

A manual of the lesser golem can be found in a book, on a scroll, etched into a piece of stone or metal, or scribed on any other medium that holds words, runes, and arcane inscriptions. Each manual of the lesser golem describes the materials needed and the process to be followed to create one type of lesser golem.

The GM chooses the type of lesser golem detailed in the manual or determines the golem type randomly.

To decipher and use the manual, you must be a spellcaster with at least one 2nd-level spell slot. You must also succeed on a DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check at the start of the first day of golem creation. If you fail the check, you must wait at least 24 hours to restart the creation process, and you take 10 (3d6) psychic damage that can only be regained after a long rest.

d20

Golem

Time

Cost

1–7

Hair

2 days

100 gp

8–13

Mud

5 days

500 gp

14–17

Glass

10 days

2,000 gp

18–20

Wood

15 days

20,000 gp

A lesser golem created via a manual of the lesser golem is not immortal. The magic that keeps the lesser golem intact gradually weakens until the golem finally falls apart. A lesser golem lasts exactly twice the number of days it takes to create it (see below) before losing its power.

Once the golem is created, the manual is expended, the writing worthless and incapable of creating another.